Air Canada said Monday that it has had to revise its flight schedule for May to deal with Transport Canada’s continued closure of Canadian airspace to the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft.
Air Canada anticipates it will cover 98 per cent of previously planned flying for the month through a series of mitigation measures, including schedule changes and temporary route suspensions, the Montreal-based carrier said in a press release Monday.
“Air Canada assures its customers that we are doing everything possible to mitigate the effects of the 737 MAX grounding, and we appreciate our customers’ patience and flexibility as we continue to work on transporting them safely to their destinations,” said Lucie Guillemette, Air Canada’s executive vice president and Chief Commercial Officer.
“By adjusting our schedule for the month of May, we are providing certainty for our customers so they can continue to book and travel with confidence on Air Canada.
Air Canada grounded its fleet of 24 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft on March 13, following a directive from Transport Canada in response to the March 10 crash of an Ethiopian Airlines MAX 8 jet shortly after takeoff from Addis Ababa.
Several national aviation authorities around the world ordered the grounding of all Boeing 737 MAX 8 and 9 aircraft after it emerged that the crash in Ethiopia was eerily similar to the Oct. 29 crash of a Lion Air Max 8 into the Java Sea off Indonesia and was likely due to a glitch in the plane’s anti-stall software. The two crashes killed 346 people.
Boeing has advised its customers that all deliveries of its 737 MAX aircraft are currently suspended until the cause of the two crashes is examined and fixes in the flight-control system are made. Air Canada was expecting six new aircraft in March and April.
The Federal Aviation Administration said Monday it anticipates Boeing’s final software improvements for 737 Max airliners “in the coming weeks.”
Boeing was expected to complete the work last week, but FAA spokesman Greg Martin said the company needs more time to make sure it has identified and addressed all issues.
Air Canada is now updating its June schedule.
Because the timeline for the return to service of the 737 MAX is unknown, for planning purposes and to provide customers certainty for booking and travel, Air Canada has removed 737 MAX flying from its schedule until at least July 1, 2019, the carrier said.
To mitigate the impact, Air Canada has been substituting different aircraft on 737 MAX routes, including the recently acquired Airbus A321 aircraft from WOW Air.
In other cases, the airline is consolidating two daily flights by smaller aircraft into a single flight by a larger aircraft.
The company has also had to delay the launch or cancel certain international flights.
With files from The Associated Press
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